AB0053 ANGIOPOIETIN-2, VEGFA, VEGFC, VEGFD, EGF, PLGF AND HB-EGF ARE GROWTH FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLINICAL ARTERIOSCLEROSIS IN A COHORT OF PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.
Authors: A. Pamies Corts, D. Llop, D. Ibarretxe, D. Taverner, R. Rosales, N. Plana, L. Masana, J. C. Vallve, S. Paredes
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2023)

<h3>Background</h3> Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) present increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease compared to the general population. Moreover, CV risk factors that have causal relationship with atherosclerosis do not seem to fully explain the accelerated process that they exhibit[1]. Over the years, several serum growth factors have been associated with atherosclerosis and some of them have been targeted as potential immunotherapy targets for the treatment of CV disease[2,3]. However, very few studies have studied these associations in RA patients. <h3>Objectives</h3> We evaluated the association of 8 plasmatic growth factors (angiopoietin-2, EGF, HB-EGF, PLGF, TGF-α, VEGFa, VEGFc, VEGFd) with surrogate markers of subclinical arteriosclerosis (carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), carotid plaque presence (cPP) and pulse wave velocity (PWV)) in a cohort of RA patients. <h3>Methods</h3> A total of 199 patients with RA were included. Subclinical markers of arteriosclerosis, (cIMT, cPP and PWV) were measured with the My Lab 50 X-Vision sonogram. The different plasmatic growth factors were measured with Bio-Plex Pro Human Cancer Biomarker Panel 2, from BIO-RAD. Multivariate models and Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) were used for analysis. Analyses were performed in the overall cohort and stratified by sex. <h3>Results</h3> The multivariate models showed that angiopoietin-2 was significantly associated with cPP and PWV in the overall cohort. Moreover, VEGFc was also associated with PWV. Stratified analyses showed that VEGFa, VEGFd, EGF, PLGF, HB-EGF were associated with cPP in men patients. In this direction, PLS-DA analysis showed that the mentioned growth factors properly classified patients with and without cPP (Figure 1). Furthermore, angiopoietin-2, EGF, VEGFc, VEGFa, HB-EGF were associated with PWV. Regarding women, angiopoietin-2 was associated with PWV. Result from the lineal and logistic regressions are summarized in Table 1. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Plasmatic growth factors, especially in men, are highly associated with subclinical arteriosclerosis surrogate markers and could be potential predictors of CV disease in patients with RA. <h3>References</h3> [1]Aviña-Zubieta JA, Choi HK, Sadatsafavi M, Etminan M, Esdaile JM, Lacaille D. Risk of cardiovascular mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A meta-analysis of observational studies. Arthritis Care Res. 2008;59:1690–7. [2]Mindur JE, Swirski FK. Growth Factors as Immunotherapeutic Targets in Cardiovascular Disease. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2019;39:1275–87. [3]Domouzoglou EM, Naka KK, Vlahos AP, Papafaklis MI, Michalis LK, Tsatsoulis A, et al. Fibroblast growth factors in cardiovascular disease: The emerging role of FGF21. Am J Physiol - Hear Circ Physiol. 2015;309:H1029. <h3>Acknowledgements</h3> We would like to thank all patients for their essential collaboration. <h3>Disclosure of Interests</h3> ANNA PAMIES CORTS Speakers bureau: Novartis, Galapagos, Didac Llop: None declared, Daiana Ibarretxe Speakers bureau: Sanofi, Sobi, Genzyme, Rubio, Delia Taverner Speakers bureau: Galapagos, Amgen, Roser Rosales: None declared, Nuria Plana Speakers bureau: Amgen, Sanofi, Servier, Consultant of: Servier, Luis Masana Speakers bureau: Amgen, Sanofi, Servier, Consultant of: Servier, Amgen, Joan Carles Vallve: None declared, Silvia Paredes Speakers bureau: Lilly, Bristol, Amgen, Consultant of: Galapagos, Sanofi, Bristol.